In an organic EL panel used in an organic EL lighting device, on a transparent supporting board including a transparent conductive film such as ITO as an anode, for example, a hole injecting layer, a hole transporting layer, a RGB emitting layer, a hole block layer, and an electron transporting layer are formed; and, furthermore, an electron injecting material and a cathode electrode are formed to form an organic EL element part. Then, a sealing/heat-transferring agent, etc. are applied thereon, and, for example, an opposing glass (sealing cap) is bonded to a peripheral part thereof with a sealing agent, thereby blocking it from the external environment.
Generally, a sputtering apparatus is used for formation of a transparent electrode, a vapor deposition apparatus is used for formation of an organic film, and an application apparatus such as an ODF, screen, inkjet (IJ), or dispenser is used for formation of the sealing agent or the heat transferring agent. For example, IJ or a slit applying apparatus is used for a polymer-based organic EL element; and, for example, a CVD apparatus is used for carrying out film sealing. Furthermore, when preceding processes including board cleaning thereof, patterning steps, etc. and post-processes including formation into modules, etc. are included, an extremely large number of steps are carried out as well as semiconductor and FPD.
When organic EL lighting is viewed from the aspect of a business, organic EL panels require various materials such as organic materials, inorganic materials, metals, and adhesive agents. Moreover, used members and used materials are extremely expensive, and manufacturing apparatuses thereof are also expensive. When the cost of materials used in manufacturing, fixed cost, depreciation cost, etc. are taken into consideration, the price or selling price thereof is about several times higher compared with that of an existing lighting device. Therefore, it is not easy to establish a profitable business using organic EL parts. Specifically, when a list showing the breakdown of manufacturing cost is viewed, fixed cost is around 30%, and variable cost is around 65%.
Furthermore, in view of details of the manufacturing cost, most of the variable cost is occupied by material cost of direct material cost, which is a main cause of the high manufacturing cost. The material cost rate is high as described above, and the unit prices of materials per se are extremely high. Therefore, it is thought to be almost impossible that EL lighting can used to establish a profitable business having normal manufacturing, distribution and sales channels.
Look at the list showing the breakdown of manufacturing cost, organic EL element materials occupy around 70%, an anode transparent electrode board is next to that and is around 20%, and sealing members such as sealing boards are around 5%. Therefore, reducing the cost of the organic EL element materials, anode boards, and sealing members is important for reducing the cost of the organic EL panel. A measure for reducing the organic EL element material cost rate will be reviewed. It is difficult to directly reutilize organic materials after brightness has deteriorated. However, an organic metal complex using a noble metal such as platinum (Pt) or iridium (Ir) as a central metal is used as a light emitting material dopant; lithium (Li), which is a rare earth metal and is becoming more difficult to obtain since demands therefor have been significantly increased recently for lithium ion batteries, is used as an electron injecting material; and a high-purity metal of, for example, aluminum (Al) or silver (Ag) is used in a cathode. Reducing the cost of the material cost by cost reduction and a quantity effect upon material production and collecting/recycling or diverting the materials can largely contribute to cost reduction. The anode-equipped transparent electrode board and the sealing members can be reutilized, which can largely contribute to cost reduction.
A method of collecting a metal contained in a light emitting element utilizing electroluminescence is disclosed in Patent Literature 1.